SOUND CITY READING
  • A Sequential Phonics Program
    • Welcome
    • Copyright Information
    • How To Navigate This Site
    • Information About The Sound City Reading Program
    • Information About The Author
    • How Was This Program Developed?
    • Why Are There So Many Different Books?
    • How To Get Started
    • What If I Can't Do Everything In This Program?
    • Information About Reading Street Materials
    • Reading Readiness
    • Understanding Consonants
    • Understanding Vowels
    • What Happened To The Old Web Site
    • Other Recommended Sites
  • Teaching Materials
    • Step Charts
    • Flow Charts
    • Teaching Levels
    • Books Used At Each Level
    • Color-Coded Vowels
    • Skill Sequence
    • General Information About Instruction
    • Integrating Phonics And Whole Language
    • Sound Story
    • Level 1 - Learning The Alphabet Overview
    • Level 2 - Exploring Sounds In Words Overview
    • Level 3 - Short Vowels Overview
    • Level 4. Phonics Patterns Overview
    • Level 5. Advanced Phonics Patterns Overview
    • Phonemic Awareness Picture Pages Overview
    • Handwriting Books Overview
    • Charts, Flashcards, And Games Overview
    • Newer Wall Charts
    • Previous Wall Charts
  • PDF Files
    • How To Work With PDF Files
    • Printers And Printing Supplies
    • PDF Files For All Levels
    • PDF Files For Handwriting
    • Level 1 - Learning The Alphabet PDFs
    • Level 2 - Exploring Sounds In Words PDFs
    • Level 3 - Short Vowels PDFs
    • Level 4 - Phonics Patterns PDFs
    • Level 5 - Advanced Phonics Patterns PDFs
    • PDF Files For Flashcards
    • PDF Files For Activities And Games
    • PDF Files For Newer Wall Charts
    • PDF Files For Older Wall Charts
  • Reading Street
    • PDFs Decoding Practice Pages
    • PDFs Spelling Worksheets
    • PDFs Word And Phonogram Cards
    • PDFs Reading Street Tests
    • PDFs Reading Street Stories
  • Pictures
    • Sound Story Pictures
    • Keyword/Sound Chart Pictures
    • Level 1 And 2 Pictures
    • Level 3 Pictures
    • Level 4 Pictures
    • Consonant Blends
    • Level 5 Pictures
  • Audio
    • Sound Story Part 1 - Alphabet Sounds
    • Sound Story Part 2 - Beyond The Alphabet Sounds
    • Sound Pictures With Letters - Part 1
    • Sound Pictures With Letters And Letter Patterns - Part 2
    • Individual Sound Pictures - Part 1
    • Individual Sound Pictures - Part 2
    • Individual Alphabet Sounds - ABC Order
    • More Letter Sounds - sh, th, ch, ng, oi, oy, ou, ow
    • Level 1 And Level 2 Sound Charts
    • Level 3 - Short Vowels - Sound Charts
    • Level 3 - Advanced Short Vowel Sound Charts
    • Level 4 - Book 1 - Sound Charts
    • Level 4 - Book 2 - Sound Charts
    • Two-Letter Sound Blending - Short U
    • Picture-Word Page - Short U
  • Video
    • Sound Story Part 1 Videos
    • Robot Game a_e/safe Video
    • Advanced Sound Charts Videos (All SCR Patterns)
  • Blog
    • Contact Me
    • Share Your Experience
    • Take This Expanded Survey
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Click on any of the green bars to go to the listed site.  I only recommend sites and products that are directly related to reading and writing, that I have used or previewed myself.  

Other Recommended Sites


The sites listed below are products and services that I have found to be aligned with my own teaching philosophy regarding the teaching of phonics. 
  • Some of the sites offer basic materials needed to teach this program, for example small plastic letters and triangular shaped pencils that are easy for students to grip.
  • Some of the sites are other programs that teach phonics.  Most of these are paid programs, but the Dekodiphukan program is free.  If you are going to use the Sound City Reading program, you will not need to get any of the other phonics programs.  However if you decide not to use this program, one the the programs listed below could be useful for you. ​ 
  • One site teaches movement activities that help students learn.  I used certain of these activities daily with my students.  They were an important part of my instruction.     
Please note that I am not compensated in any way for sharing these links.  I am recommending them because I think they can be useful when teaching reading, spelling, and phonics.   

Abecedarian - Plastic Alphabet Letters

The Abecedarian web site at www.alphabetletter.com sells a variety of small plastic letters that are perfect for spelling activities when students are learning to read and spell.  These sets of letters are very reasonably priced.  Both capital and lower case letters are available and they can be purchased with or without magnets.  I have always purchased the letters without the magnets.  Just the vowels can be purchased separately in a different color, which is helpful when spelling words.  These letters match the learning games available on the Sound City Reading website.  Upper and lower case of Spanish letters are also available.  The site also sells plastic numbers.   

Click on the bar below to visit this site.
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www.alphabetletter.com

Triangular Easy To Grip Pencils

Some students have a lot of difficulty holding their pencils.  Their grip is too tight or too loose.  Their thumb slides up on the pencil, so that they can't move the pencil with precision.  These triangular shaped pencils will make it much easier for students to hold their pencils.  They work for beginning students and older students who have trouble holding and controlling a penciI with accuracy.  I highly recommend them.  
Try-Rex B21 Pencil, Extra Thick, Red
Try-Rex B23 Pencil, Normal Thickness

​Brain Gym

This program has wonderful movement exercises that prepare students to learn.  Books are available with straightforward instructions that are easy to implement.  I used a few of these exercises on a regular basis with my students for many years.  Of particular importance is teaching students to march.  As they swing their arms while marching, the right arm should swing backward while the right leg moves forward, and likewise for the left arm and leg.  This is often surprisingly difficult for students.  Regular practice will bring improvement.  
Brain Gym
Brain Gym Books

Reading Simplified

Some time ago I learned about Reading Simplified. I saw an offer on Facebook to watch a free video which introduces three methods they use:  Switch It, Read It, and Sort It.  The switch it activity is very similar to activities in the Sound City Reading program using plastic letters.  I especially like that fact that this program has students spell words by saying the letter sounds, not the letter names.  The program provides teacher training and all the materials you need for reasonable monthly or yearly payments.  If you are not going to use Sound City Reading and are looking for a program that teaches phonics, spelling, and reading with a good teacher training program, I highly recommend Reading Simplified, created by Marnie Ginsberg, PhD.  Click on the first green bar below to go to their web site.  Or click on the second bar to sign up for the free introductory webinar that I attended, as described above.  If you complete the webinar you will be able to download sample pages of their teaching materials.     
Reading Simplified
Reading Simplified - Free Introductory Webinar

Spencer Learning

This site is helpful for those who need help learning all of the phonetic patterns and help learning how to decode (sound out) words.  This is an online instructional program that teaches decoding directly on the computer screen.  You will need an internet connection to do the lessons.  Students practice reading both words and sentences.  The program is sequential.  It includes pages that can be printed for extra practice reading the words and sentences.  It must be purchased but in my opinion the price is very reasonable.

Although I haven't used this program before, I think it would work well as a compliment to the Sound City Reading materials on this site.  

Click on the green bar to visit this site.
spencerlearning.com

Touch-Type Read And Spell

This is an online typing program that has the added benefit of teaching phonetic patterns at the same time.  Students learn how to place their fingers to type each letter and begin spelling words right away.  The sequence covers many phonetic patterns.  Students practice typing a number of words with each pattern.  My grandchildren used this site and I loved seeing them learn to type.  You will need an internet connection to do this program.

​Click on the green bar to visit this site.
readandspell.com

Dekodiphukan (Decode If You Can)

I used this as a supplemental program with my first grade classes many years ago.  The students loved it.  The version I used was a large kit with numerous center activities.  The kit is no longer available, but the author, Bob Baratta-Lorton, has made the program available on line without cost as printouts of the original materials.  In addition, he has created a free set of iPad apps that allows students to do all of the same activities on the iPad.  The program is based on a sound story called Dekodiphukan (decode if you can).  Students hear the story read aloud to be introduced to the sound pictures in the story.  Then students do sound blending activities, starting with the sound pictures and moving eventually to letters so that they can read and spell words.  This is an extensive program that provides lots and lots of practice so that students can master reading and writing.  The program has many engaging pictures to illustrate both words and phrases.   

Click on the green bar to visit this site.  The Dekodiphukan page is part of the Center For Innovation In Education, Inc. web site, which also includes instructional materials for teaching math.   
Dekodiphukan Overview
Dekodiphukan Materials And App Info

Freedom Homeschooling

This site provides links to many different websites that offer free teaching materials for homeschooling.  Click on the green bar to go to the site.
Freedom Homeschooling

Secret Stories

I was fortunate enough to attend an in-service presentation about Secret Stories while I was teaching.  Katie Garner has put together a wonderful set of materials that teach phonetic patterns in a very creative way.  Her approach is similar to the sound story in Sound City Reading.  She tells little individual stories about each of the phonetic patterns to explain why they say their own particular sounds.  Wall charts include a picture poster for each of the stories and can be used for reference and review.  I used them on my wall for a time combined with my own charts.  You can see a picture of them among the wall chart pictures on this site under OVERVIEW OF MATERIALS, WALL CHARTS, PREVIOUS WALL CHARTS.  The Secret Stories posters I had were printed on a red background.  The newer versions are far more colorful.

Click on the bar below to visit this site.
Secret Stories

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Sound City Reading

All Materials Copyright 2025 or earlier by Kathryn J. Davis, All Rights Reserved
My goal is for as many people as possible to use this reading program to teach students how to read.  All of the materials you need are available on this site as free PDF files.  The materials are copyrighted, but I give permission to all teachers, parents, tutors, and school systems to download and print any of the PDF files for use with the students they teach.    However, they are not to make a profit from distributing the materials.  If you don't have a printer, using a print shop is allowed.  If preferred, you may work with the PDF files directly from a computer screen, without printing them.  This makes it possible for tutors to teach the program online.  Audio and video files are free to watch and to listen to, and they may be downloaded if desired for use with your  students.  In special cases I may grant written permission to individuals to use the materials in other ways.  You can contact me at [email protected].  
  • A Sequential Phonics Program
    • Welcome
    • Copyright Information
    • How To Navigate This Site
    • Information About The Sound City Reading Program
    • Information About The Author
    • How Was This Program Developed?
    • Why Are There So Many Different Books?
    • How To Get Started
    • What If I Can't Do Everything In This Program?
    • Information About Reading Street Materials
    • Reading Readiness
    • Understanding Consonants
    • Understanding Vowels
    • What Happened To The Old Web Site
    • Other Recommended Sites
  • Teaching Materials
    • Step Charts
    • Flow Charts
    • Teaching Levels
    • Books Used At Each Level
    • Color-Coded Vowels
    • Skill Sequence
    • General Information About Instruction
    • Integrating Phonics And Whole Language
    • Sound Story
    • Level 1 - Learning The Alphabet Overview
    • Level 2 - Exploring Sounds In Words Overview
    • Level 3 - Short Vowels Overview
    • Level 4. Phonics Patterns Overview
    • Level 5. Advanced Phonics Patterns Overview
    • Phonemic Awareness Picture Pages Overview
    • Handwriting Books Overview
    • Charts, Flashcards, And Games Overview
    • Newer Wall Charts
    • Previous Wall Charts
  • PDF Files
    • How To Work With PDF Files
    • Printers And Printing Supplies
    • PDF Files For All Levels
    • PDF Files For Handwriting
    • Level 1 - Learning The Alphabet PDFs
    • Level 2 - Exploring Sounds In Words PDFs
    • Level 3 - Short Vowels PDFs
    • Level 4 - Phonics Patterns PDFs
    • Level 5 - Advanced Phonics Patterns PDFs
    • PDF Files For Flashcards
    • PDF Files For Activities And Games
    • PDF Files For Newer Wall Charts
    • PDF Files For Older Wall Charts
  • Reading Street
    • PDFs Decoding Practice Pages
    • PDFs Spelling Worksheets
    • PDFs Word And Phonogram Cards
    • PDFs Reading Street Tests
    • PDFs Reading Street Stories
  • Pictures
    • Sound Story Pictures
    • Keyword/Sound Chart Pictures
    • Level 1 And 2 Pictures
    • Level 3 Pictures
    • Level 4 Pictures
    • Consonant Blends
    • Level 5 Pictures
  • Audio
    • Sound Story Part 1 - Alphabet Sounds
    • Sound Story Part 2 - Beyond The Alphabet Sounds
    • Sound Pictures With Letters - Part 1
    • Sound Pictures With Letters And Letter Patterns - Part 2
    • Individual Sound Pictures - Part 1
    • Individual Sound Pictures - Part 2
    • Individual Alphabet Sounds - ABC Order
    • More Letter Sounds - sh, th, ch, ng, oi, oy, ou, ow
    • Level 1 And Level 2 Sound Charts
    • Level 3 - Short Vowels - Sound Charts
    • Level 3 - Advanced Short Vowel Sound Charts
    • Level 4 - Book 1 - Sound Charts
    • Level 4 - Book 2 - Sound Charts
    • Two-Letter Sound Blending - Short U
    • Picture-Word Page - Short U
  • Video
    • Sound Story Part 1 Videos
    • Robot Game a_e/safe Video
    • Advanced Sound Charts Videos (All SCR Patterns)
  • Blog
    • Contact Me
    • Share Your Experience
    • Take This Expanded Survey